The Message of the Resurrection - Part 1

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, April 14th. If you are struggling to hold on to hope, get help in looking beyond the disappointments of this life, and focus instead on the hope-filled message of the resurrection. And I want you to turn, if you will, to Luke chapter 24. You'll recall that Joseph of Arimathea had gone to Pilate and asked Pilate for the body of Christ.

He let him have him. He placed him in his tomb. The women who had followed showed up the next morning on Sunday morning with their spices and perfumes. And here's what the Scripture says. Twenty-fourth chapter of Luke, first verse. But on the first day of the week at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. And when they had entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel. And as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but He is risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee saying that the Son of Man must be delivered to the hands of sinful men and be crucified and the third day rise again? And they remembered His words and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. My friend, the best news the world could possibly hear is found in verse six.

He is not here, but He has risen. This is the greatest news the world has ever heard because, you see, if that were not true, you and I would have absolutely no hope and assurance of life after this one. What I'd like to do in this message is simply explain to you what is the real message of the resurrection. It isn't simply the fact that Jesus died on the cross and somebody placed Him in their tomb and sealed it up and Romans that were there to guard it and simply the fact that the stone was rolled away and suddenly His body was not there.

That is the event. These are the things that took place, but what is the message of the resurrection? So whether you're a believer or not, I want you to listen carefully. The first thing that I understand about the message of the resurrection is this, that our Christ, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is our Savior and our Lord and our Master, the Son of God is alive. He is not dead. And, my friend, the world needs to hear the truth that the God whom you and I serve, the living God, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is not buried in a tomb. He is not here. It is His absence, not His presence, but His absence that causes us to rejoice. And somebody says, well, then where is He? Where is He if He's not there? I'll tell you where He is. The Bible is very clear about where He is.

So if you'll turn to Hebrews chapter 10 for a moment, let's look at this passage, Hebrews chapter 10, the Bible tells us everything you and I need to know. And so somebody says, well, where is the Lord Jesus Christ? Where is the Son of God? If He rose from the dead, then where is He? And the Scripture says in chapter 10 of Hebrews verse 12, But He, having suffered one sacrifice, that is His life, four sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.

Our resurrected Christ is seated at the Father's right hand. That's where He is. And what is He doing?

Well, the Scripture tells us exactly what He's doing because it tells us in the seventh chapter of Hebrews verse 25, Hence also He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for us. Where is He? Is at the Father's right hand.

What is He doing? Making intercession for us. Turn to 1 John, the little epistle of 1 John for a moment and look, if you will, in the second chapter.

And if you'll notice here, He tells us also what His position is. 1 John chapter 2, what His position is seated at the Father's right hand while He is interceding, praying for you and me. Verse 1, My little children, I'm writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we had been advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation or the sacrifice for our sins, not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

What is He doing? Not only is He seated at the Father's right hand and interceding for us, but He is seated there as our advocate. He's the one to whom you and I go. He's the one who, in the presence of the Father, continually reminding us and reminding the Father, Here are my children.

Here are the ones I died for. When you and I come to the Father about our sins, we have Jesus Christ the advocate, one who stands in between, one who comes to Him on our behalf to remind Him that we have trusted Him as our personal Savior. Well, what is He doing besides interceding and sitting as our advocate? The Bible says in chapter 14 of John, if you want to turn there for a moment, here's something else He's doing.

He said to His disciples in this 14th chapter, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house of many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I'm going to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I'm coming again to receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also. What is He doing? Seated at the Father's right hand, interceding for us, acting as our advocate like our attorney before the Father, and at the same time, He is preparing heaven for us, and He is doing that until He is finished. And the next thing and the last thing I would say is simply this, and that is He's waiting for the Father's plan to be complete, and then He's coming back for all of us who are His children. So where is He? Seated at the Father's right hand. But there's another place that He is, and that is He is not only seated at the Father's right hand, but He is living on the inside of every single child of God in the presence of the Holy Spirit, who sealed us and indwelt us the moment we received Him as our Savior.

For example, when you think about that, you remember what Jesus said in Hebrews chapter 13? He said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Well, if He'll never leave us nor forsake us, then He must be with us. Turn to the 15th chapter of John to the most graphic picture that Jesus could possibly have painted for us and painted for His disciples to remind us forever that He is with us, and also to tell us and to explain to us the intimate relationship that He has with every single one of His children. You recall that He says in this first verse of John 15, I am the true vine. My Father is the vine dresser.

He's the one who takes care of it. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it that it may bring forth more fruit.

You're already clean because of the words which I've spoken to you. Now watch verse 4 and 5. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you that is bear fruit unless you abide in me.

Watch this. I am the vine, you're the branches. He who is abiding in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

What is He saying? Simply this. The Lord Jesus Christ who is the risen Lord. One of the first message, the basic bottom line message of the resurrection is this. That Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God is alive, seated at the Father's right hand, making intercession for us, serving as our advocate, preparing heaven for us and at the same time living on the inside of every single one of those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. We can say in the very beginning the message of the resurrection is our Christ is indeed very much alive and eternally alive. The second message of the resurrection is this.

That our sins have been forgiven and we are absolutely eternally secure in Him. If you'll recall, He says He came to give His life a ransom for many. He came to seek and to save that which is lost. Look if you will in Ephesians chapter 1, beginning in this very first chapter, Paul talks about how we have been chosen in Christ and then he says in verse 7, In Him, that is in Christ Jesus, we have redemption. That is His death purchased our salvation through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace. You'll recall also in 1 Peter chapter 1 when he is describing what Jesus has done for us.

Here's what he says in 1 Peter chapter 1 and beginning in verse 18, Knowing that you and I were not redeemed or saved with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life, inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood as of a lamb, unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. What is the message of the resurrection? Message of the resurrection is that our sins have been forgiven. The message of the resurrection is that you and I are eternally secure in Him.

Because I want you to turn, if you will, to a particular chapter, ninth chapter of Hebrews, and look at this ninth chapter for a moment. I want you to notice what happens here because it's interesting and very important that you and I understand exactly what took place because you see somebody says, Well, Jesus died and then did he go to hell? No, he did not. Jesus did not go to hell to suffer for men's sins. These verses tell you exactly what happened when Jesus died. Beginning in this ninth chapter and let's start with verse 11, But when Christ appeared as the high priest of the good things to come, he entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood he entered the holy place, once for all having obtained eternal redemption.

Where did he go? He went into the presence of Almighty God. Verse 14, How much more with the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And then if you'll turn to that same chapter, verse 24, For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, thinking of the temple, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us.

What did he do? He appeared in the presence of Almighty God as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, appearing before God as the final ultimate sacrifice for the sin of mankind. And the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is evidence that God the Father accepted his death as payment for our sin so that the reason you and I know that our sins are forgiven, having confessed them before him, having trusted him to forgive us on the basis of his death at Calvary, is the fact, what did he do? He entered into the presence of Almighty God as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, accepted by the Father. If the Father had not accepted Christ's death on the cross as payment for our sins, he would never have been resurrected. He was the sinless Son of God who came into this world for the primary purpose of dying for our sin. The resurrection says the Father approved of his atoning death and the Father approved of the awesome act of a sacrificial death and atoning death for our sins, raised him from the dead, and in the presence of the Father, now seated at the Father's right hand, making intercession for us, our advocate preparing heaven for us, we have the absolute unquestionable assurance our sins have been forgiven.

The sacrifice is accepted. If Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead, you and I would never know whether our sins are forgiven or not. If he had not risen from the dead, we would never have known whether the Father accepted the sacrifice or not. If he had not risen from the dead, you and I would never know if we have any kind or if we could have any kind of a personal relationship with him.

He said, I'm abiding in you, you're abiding in me. We have an intimate relationship once we trust Christ as our Savior. We would know whether that's just something he said or whether it could possibly be true or not.

We'd have all these questions and doubts and wonder. We would never know whether the purchase of our salvation gave us life eternal, life after this one, were it not for the resurrection of Christ. And you see, when I think about the fact that he rose from the dead and think about the proof and think about the fact that our sins are forgiven, you and I know day by day those of us who trusted Christ as our Savior, our Lord, the living Christ. Not only do we believe it because the Bible says it, we believe it because there is evidence in our life.

There's evidence in our life when we confess our sins, we know that that guilt is over. When we yield ourselves to him, we have a sense of joy and peace and we have a sense of contentment in our life. We see him guiding our life. We see him guarding our life. We see him providing for our life. We see him assuring us.

We sense his presence. We know that our Christ is the living Christ, our sins are forgiven and we are eternally secure in the living God. That is part of the message of the resurrection.

Not that just that a man rose from the dead, but it's what he did for us and the evidence of what he did for us being accepted by the Father, that is part of the message of the resurrection. I'm going to give you a couple of passages in a few moments that you should write it down, mark it down, underline it, whatever is necessary in case you wonder about whether you are eternally secure or not. Why don't you turn, if you will, to John chapter 6. John chapter 6, because apart from the resurrection, you and I would have no reason to believe this to be true. Listen to what he says, a very important passage. John chapter 6 verse 37. Listen to what Jesus said, very important passage. You're listening, say, Amen. All that the Father gives me shall come to me and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out, which is his way of saying, you say, well, I would be saved, but I'm afraid he'll reject me.

Listen to what he said. All that come to me, he says, I will never cast out. You can't come to Jesus asking for the forgiveness of your sin and have him turn thumbs down. He'll never shut the door in your face. He'll never turn thumbs down. He'll never say no. He'll never say anything but come unto me, all you that live under heaven laden, and I'll give you rest.

Listen to what he says. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. Now watch this next phrase. This is the will of him who sent me. That of all that he has given me, I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day. How can you be saved by the grace of God and be ever be lost when he says it is the will of my Father that all who come to me, I will lose nothing, and I will raise him up on the last day. Listen, saved and eternally secure by the promise of Jesus Christ who said this is the will of my Father. The will of my Father is that every single person who trusts me is a Savior. The will of my Father is I will raise him up on the last day. Well, what is the message of the resurrection? The message of the resurrection is not on the Jesus Christ, it's not on the Jesus Christ is alive, and we are forgiven, eternally secure. The message also involves something else, and that is that you're not going to live forever. This life is only a journey.

We're going to live forever. For example, turn, if you will, to John chapter 11, and let's look at this conversation between Jesus and Mary and Martha. John chapter 11. You recall that Lazarus has died, and Mary and Martha are a little bit upset because they said if you'd have been here, Jesus, we sent you a word.

If you'd have been here, he wouldn't have died. Listen to what Jesus said to her. Verse 23 of chapter 11. Jesus said to her, Your brother shall rise again. Martha said to him, I know that he'll rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection of the life. He who believes in me shall live even if he dies.

Now watch this next verse. Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Well, somebody says, well, that's a contradiction. How can you die and not die?

Listen to what he says. Everyone who believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? But then he just said, I'm the resurrection of the life. He who believes in me shall live even if he dies. What in the world did Jesus mean?

Here's what he meant. Jesus knew what life and death was all about. He knew that death for the believer is simply a door. One way or the other, God who loves us must translate us from this earth to heaven.

So what has he done? He has allowed sin in this world and sin has brought upon us the penalty of death and every single one of us has sinned against almighty God. But when Jesus Christ went to the cross, he paid our sin debt in full. Did that remove physical death from this earth?

No, it did not. But what it did is exactly what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15. He says it took the sting out of death. Death lost its power. Death became the victim and life became the victor so that when you and I lead this life absent from the body, present with the Lord, we walk through the door of death and listen to the absolute immediate presence of the Son of the living God where we are going to live forever. That's why he said to her, even though he's dead, he shall live again. He says because those of us who trust Jesus Christ as their personal savior, we will never die the death that people die when they die without Jesus Christ as their living savior. So therefore he took the sting out of death. That's why you and I don't have to fear death because death, listen, death cannot harm the child of God. It is simply God's method of taking us from this life into his presence. And listen, if death is the door in the presence of the Son of God, would you and I not agree?

That's a good thing. If that's what death is all about for the believer, that's a good thing. Absent from the body, present with the Lord.

Know what does the Bible say? Absent from the body, bird in the earth. Absent from the body, present with the Lord.

We're going to live forever. Thank you for listening to The Message of the Resurrection. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.